Goldfish at the Palm Springs Pool Party

Maya's stomach did backflips as she stood at the edge of the **pool**, the water glittering like someone had dumped actual diamonds in it. Her cousin's graduation party was packed with TikTok-famous kids from Palm Springs High, and Maya felt about as cool as a sandwich bag full of cottage cheese.

She clutched her phone, the charging **cable** wrapped around her wrist like a weird friendship bracelet she couldn't take off. Battery at 4%, of course.

"Hey, you're AJ's cousin from NorCal, right?"

Maya jumped. A guy with bleach-tipped hair and an **orange** swim shirt stood there, holding Solo cups. "I'm Chase. You want punch? It's probably spiked, but like, lowkey."

"Maya," she managed, taking the cup. "Thanks."

"Dude, check this out." Chase pointed at the outdoor kitchen where a massive bowl sat on the counter. Inside swam a single **goldfish**, looking personally victimized by the music. "My dad won him at a carnival last week. We're literally doing draw names to see who has to take him to college."

Maya laughed despite herself. "That's the most Boomer energy thing I've ever heard."

"Right?" Chase leaned against a **palm** tree, his swim trunk's pocket accidentally revealing a very plush collection of Hot Cheetos. "Anyway, you seem chill. The girls over there have been doing that thing where they look at you and then whisper? Yeah, they're just mad because you actually have natural curls. That's literally the only reason."

Maya's phone buzzed in her hand—dead. But for the first time all afternoon, she didn't care. She looked at Chase, at the ridiculous goldfish, at the pool full of people she'd spent two hours panicking about.

"You know what?" Maya said, setting her phone down on the table. "I think I'll jump in anyway."

Chase grinned. "Bet. Cannonball?"

"Cannonball."

And as they sprinted toward the water while the goldfish watched judgmentally from his bowl, Maya finally stopped worrying about being cool and started actually, you know, living.